Episode 33: Peninsula Ballet Theatre

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A transcript, lightly edited for clarity and length, follows.

Show Guests: Christine, Leslie, the CEO and Executive Director of the Peninsula Ballet Theatre

Voices of the Community Introduction: Welcome to voices of the community which explores critical issues facing Northern California communities. We introduce you to the voices of community thought leaders and change makers who are working on solutions that face our fellow individual community members neighborhoods cities and our region. This is George Koster your host. 

Series Introduction: This episode is part of our series exploring COVID-19’s impact on nonprofits and small businesses in San Francisco. We started the series back in April 2020 during the height of the first phase of the Covid 19 pandemic and the Shelter In Place requirements. Over these past nine months, the Covid-19 pandemic and economic meltdown have wiped out millions of jobs in both the nonprofit and small business sectors as well as shuttered tens of thousands of small business operations.

The goal of the series is to shine a spotlight on the nonprofits, small businesses, and their staff who are struggling to deal with the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on their operations, services and sustainability. The series of interviews we conducted features voices from a cross-section of organizations that make up the fabric of our community.  Each of them brings a unique perspective on how they and we are dealing with the issues facing our community during the global pandemic and economic depression.

Show Guest Christine: Well, I wish we had not had to go through this. We've lost too many wonderful, wonderful people all over the country. But, if I had to find something positive it's I think we've now found a way to reach even more people to bring more people not only entered the theater, but for them to see local performing artists who are professionals and not just a big company, not the New York and the London and, the San Francisco, but that there's a lot of talent everywhere.  

Episode Intro - Show Host George: In this episode, our featured voice is Christine Leslie the CEO and Executive Director of the Peninsula Ballet Theatre. Over its fifty years of operation, the Peninsula Ballet Theatre has become the artistic and cultural hub of San Mateo County through its School which fosters a community of inclusivity, Summer Camp, and live performances of classic ballet, jazz, ballroom, and hip hop. The covid-19 pandemic is hitting our performing arts organizations very hard and no one knows how many performing arts organizations will permanently close down. Christine shares with us how her team is reinventing their performances

Show Host George: 'm joined remotely via zoom by Christine Leslie, the CEO and Executive Director of the Peninsula Ballet Theatre. Thank you for being here, Christine.

Show Guest Christine: Thank you for the invitation George were always pleased to speak to someone that has the same passion for the arts that we do.

George: I would love it. If you could, provide the audience with a quick overview of the Peninsula Ballet Theater, which has been around for decades. And I feel like a lot of people perhaps don't know about that if they're not in the peninsula community. And then some of your really wonderful key programs?

 Christine: Well, the Peninsula Ballet Theatre was actually formed back in 1967 by Richard Gibson and Dick Ford. They had a, school then, and then they added the non-profit arm to that. And so, we've been around now, well, 53 years, 54 years soon. We are a school, and we have classes and all genres of dance for all ages.

We start as young as three, for a 45-minute class. And we have people in our adult program that are in their eighties. Because we all know that dance is one of the best overall, keep fitness programs you can have, plus it just feeds your spirit. You know, it's much different than the gym experience.

So, we have that program and it's year-round. In the summer we have our, summer intensive most of the kids used to have almost update six to eight weeks of, holiday in the summer. So, we, did a very [intense where they would come in every day for their classes.

And as year-round schools down here on the peninsula, have become a little bit more common. We've bobbin weaved with that. And so those classes now are shorter, but then our regular school program is longer. So, we have classes in ballet. We have classes in musical theater, hip hop, jazz, tap, you name it we've got it. Dance Fitness. we have folks come in that do classes in classic Indian dancing, Bollywood, Ball Room, a big ballroom program. So, if you want to dance, you can either come see us with our productions or you could come actually dance and be part of it that way.

George: Thank you, that was a great overview. So since so much of, the peninsula ballet theater’s work is with people in person and here we are in our tenth month and seeming to only get worse with nothing in person. How has, the company transitioned to the virtual world? What have you guys done to continue your operation and how do you feel like the virtual world is helping?

Christine: Back in March with everyone else we thought well this probably a couple months’ worth of so let's get out the zoom and let's just keep our classes going as much as possible. And so, we started that program. Mostly we did it at the beginning for the children's programs and kept that going.

And then as it became really obvious that this was here to stay, we added back in the programs on zoom for adults. So, we continued with those classes with zoom and just like everyone else, zoom meetings and zoom fatigue does set in, but all those children, those adults they still want that.

I mean, people have danced since, you know, the caveman days they gathered together and beat on their drums and they danced. So, there's something innate in all of us that wants that movement. So that has continued, and that program is doing pretty well. The younger kids find it a little bit more difficult of course, you know, they're there all day zoom with their academic classes and then more zoom. But the older children and the adults have adapted really very well. But they're all longing to be back in the studio you know, there's just something about dancing with other people around, but that's just a little, different experience.

So those classes started and then after a few months, we realized that we've had to cancel all of our performances for obvious reasons, but, you know, dancers have to dance, choreographers have to choreograph. I mean, it's just part of who they are. So, they started getting together in small pods, masked, you know, they all went and got their COVID tests and they were COVID free.

And so, they would have three or four of them dancing together. And so, from that, they started forming their own little dance pods, you know, they pledged to each other. These are folks that know and love each other, that they would not get outside their pod so they can dance together. And from that, we formed what we called the Chrysalis project, you know, well, first we were dancing in isolation, but on our website, you will see a series of six dances that these dancers and our Artistic Director, Greg Amato put together.

And it's really, so compelling. And I think it's going to open up a whole new creative aspect of how we meet our audience not just on the peninsula, but since we're doing virtually, I mean, it doesn't matter if you're in Millbrae or Milwaukee or Munich. I mean, anyone can now enjoy these things. We're creative people and creative people find creative solutions. It's going to be different, but we're gonna keep on dancing.

George:  Do you have a special holiday production that you guys are working on? I know everyone thinks of the Nutcracker Ballet, obviously this time of the year, especially with ballet companies. So, what's the plan, to help people celebrate?

Christine: Well, starting on December the 10th our Hip-Hop Nutcracker, which has been a really wonderful success is going to be on via our partnership with Goldstar. And so folks can go to Goldstar and actually enjoy this really quite wonderful production it'll be now our fifth year I believe it is of doing that. And it started just kind of organically, it was so exciting how it grew. We started with our hip-hop program and people don't necessarily think to look for a hip-hop class with a company called Peninsula Ballet. During our anniversary season, we were going to have them do a little curtain teaser, hip hop, you know, two- or three-minutes’ worth. And so, our hip-hop teachers and artistic directors gave him the challenge come back. Well, they came back, and they had done things with almost every piece of the Nutcracker music there was. So, I said, you know, we have a whole hip hop Nutcracker, and they told the entire Nutcracker story, but they added hip hop beats to the Tchaikovsky music.

So, you hear Tchaikovsky it's there. But the whole story is told with the hip hop dance instead of the ballet. So that's coming soon and it's very exciting. I think people will find that a very happy thing to see. And then from our ballet production, we decided not to present our regular Nutcracker. Our company is actually doing a little holiday greeting card that's going to be available also starting on the 15th of December on our website. So, it's, more of the ballet and jazz tradition, our dancers and their families doing a, little gift to our community. So those are what we're doing right now for the holiday season.

George: And how can people who are watching or listening to this support the Peninsula Ballet Theater?

Christine: Our website is peninsula ballet dot org. And of course, we have a donate button. We've been so fortunate that the people that have known us for these past 53 years have continued with their support.

But our earned revenue of course, has been dramatically affected. So, they can go to that and they can also sign up for our newsletter or to get our, little, alerts, that when something new is going to be presented, that they can go to the website. It's very easy to follow and to see what's happening in the ballet and dance world virtually.

George: Over a year, many years of working in the community could you share with the audience what you feel like perhaps one of your favorite stories and the impact that you believe that the Peninsula Ballet Theater's had on the Peninsula community?

Christine: One of my favorite personal stories is of course we've had children come and they're with us from the times they're five or six years old, sometimes younger up through taking college. But one of dancers, Nadia Cheng. I remember, well, she came to me and said, Ms. Christine, will you write me a college recommendation letter? And I said, well, sure when the time comes, she says, well, I'm a junior and high school now, laughter well, of course, so I did. So, the culmination of that story, because she was a really wonderful dancer and learn so much and become, you know, a real favorite.

She actually went on to MIT to get her doctorate in all things in some sort of robotic, I mean, the name goes on. I can't even, I mean, I was at a high tech for a while. I had not even imagined. But in her doctorate thesis, in her dedication page, she called out is that I was able to accomplish these things.

The things I learned being with Peninsula, Ballet Theater, hard work, almost always pays off. If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish it. And Christine Leslie and Carlos Carvajal, and the people at Peninsula Ballet Theater taught me those things. And when I saw that I said, you know what, we have done a really good job at this. This is just not people that want to dance, but the things that these children learn being part of a professional production throughout the years, really prepares them with those life skills which I personally think the teamwork you get from doing professional arts is just invaluable.

So that's one of my very favorite stories about how the passion we engender goes beyond just the internal enjoyment. It really can make such a positive effect on a person's individual life. And then she, went on to, inventing things out there.

We allow our audience members to go up on stage and their onstage meeting all the dancers and getting their autographs and taking their pictures. And you see that and see the joy in their eyes it really is so satisfying, all that hard work and all of those hours, really, you can see what an impact it makes on these people's lives.

George: Thank you so final question what would you see as some of the positive things that could come out of the crisis, in the presentation of dance and to support the engagement of dance and performing arts for both youth and families in San Mateo and the Peninsula?

Christine: Well, I wish we had not had to go through this. We've lost too many wonderful, wonderful people all over the country. But, if I had to find something positive it's I think we've now found a way to reach even more people to bring more people not only entered the theater, but for them to see local performing artists who are professionals and not just a big company, not the New York and the London and, the San Francisco, but that there's a lot of talent everywhere.

And that we can share this now for so many more people as we go forward. Because as I said before, I feel intuitively that this is going to change the art form and it's going to end up being more inclusive and it's going to be even more creative. All these wonderful performing artists and these choreographers are going to find new ways to meld electronic on the stage on the screen and come out the other side with something I have to believe because I'm an optimist only optimists go into this business that we're going to come out the other side of this with taking this historic classic art form and bringing it into a new age that's going to know. I'm hoping, attract even more people as we go forward. that's my fervent hope.

George: Thank you I'm with you.  as we were talking before, I feel like the opportunity here is to really expose to people how important arts and culture are to us, and that if you want it to be in your community, you have to step up and support it.

Christine: Right. Our world will be very, very different even here on the peninsula if we don't have art as a readily available part of our lives, that's one of the things that makes living wherever you live. So very special because you have those things, they're ready for you when you're ready for them.

And we need everyone, our businesses, our individuals, people of all ages to not only support the arts with their generous donations, but to participate take a dance class, be in the audience and be part of this wonderful life.

George: Well, thank you very much, Christine, for sharing. Peninsula Ballet Theatre's work today and we'll make sure that the viewers and listeners of the show have your contact information websites, social media, so they can follow Peninsula Ballet Theatre productions and get engaged and support your mission.

Christine: Thank you so much, George. I've so much enjoyed our conversation.

Episode Outro - Show Host George: That’s it for this episode of voices of the community. You have been listening to the voice of Christine Leslie the CEO and Executive Director of the Peninsula Ballet Theatre

To find out more about the Peninsula Ballet Theatre and participating in their annual Holiday Hip Hop Nutcracker and Holiday Greeting Card for the community please go to peninsula ballet dot org           

Series Outro: We hope that you enjoy the insights, points of view, and personal stories from the voices of change-makers and their nonprofits and small businesses featured in this series. To find out more and get engaged with the nonprofits, small businesses and staff members, featured in this series please go to my web site george koster dot com and click on Voices of the Community to find links to the extended versions of these interviews and to listen to the entire series. After listening to these stories we hope that you will consider making a donation and volunteering to provide a hand up to your fellow community members.

Series Credits: I want to thank my associate producer Eric Estrada, along with Mel, Michael, and Lila at the San Francisco Public Press and KSFP. To listen to our next episode in this series and to our archived past shows which feature community voices working on solutions to critical issues facing Northern California communities, please go to george koster dot com. While you are on our website please consider making a donation to help us provide future shows just like this one. Please subscribe to Voices of the Community on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or where ever you get your podcasts. Follow us on twitter @georgekoster and please email us with feedback and show ideas at george@georgekoster.com. I'm George Koster in San Francisco and thank you for listening.

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